Ling watches Caio, who seems different than usual. It's just like him to hold back, but he seems... nervous? worried? Serious. Or maybe jealous he didn't get to take a cool trip to Charn. I should probably leave him be, but... She is about to imitate the Joker and ask Caio "Why so serious?" to get a rise out of him, but Alaris envelops her in a fierce hug. Ling returns it gratefully. "I missed you too! I'm not sure about the ring though, I kinda like it." She lifts an eyebrow. "See Dagon again?" With a little elbow jab, she asks: "What, someone got a crush on a demon? I didn't know you swung that way!"
Before she can tease Alaris any further and possibly wear down Caio's last nerve, Nikolai shushes the shadowhunters so he can hear what Shiva is saying to him on the phone as they emerge from the subway. They agree to meet at a little eatery a few streets from the cemetery.
A tall, royal blue warlock with solid black eyes saunters into the small eatery. Her sharp cheekbones and soft jawline are peppered with small scars, and from her head rise two spiraling vertical horns that are charcoal in color. The horns are partially obscured by shoulder length black hair that curls loosely. Her clothes; light shirt, pants, travelling bag, are all jet black. .As she scans the establishment, she sees Nikolai sitting at a booth with some unfamiliar faces, and one familiar one.
As she walks up, she says "Nik! Good to see you. Hello everyone, my name is Shivala, and I've come to give my aid at the behest of my old friend. From the sounds of it, seems like some pretty grave shit." She then turns to Ling. "You however, I have already heard much about. Nice to finally meet you Ling, I'm sorry it's taken us this long to become acquainted."
She extends her hand out to shake Ling's as she takes a seat.
Ling slides into the booth next to Alaris and scans the menu, feeling ravenous as usual. She catches the eye of the young waiter just as Shiva enters the pub. Ling is immediately taken with the royal blue skin colour. So this is Shiva, Nik always said we'd get on well - though he somehow said that like it was a bad thing, hm. "Shiva! Likewise, it was about time!" Ling takes her hand and pulls her in for a hug. "Any friend of Nik's is a friend of mine. Or a rival for his attention, but I like to think the three of us keep him too busy for anyone else. Let me bring you up to speed." The shadowhunter quickly fills Shiva in on what they've found out so far, finishing by explaining that they're planning on going to the cemetery tonight.
Shivala stares dumbfounded for a moment, looking from Ling to Nikolai, then turning to Caio as he delivers the deadpan verdict.
Cocking an eyebrow, she says "Yeah, this seems a little ****ed. If this is all suppose to go down as you say, then that cemetery is gonna be crawling with those deranged ********. What's the plan of attack? And does someone have be wearing the ring in order to stop everything , or could we just throw the ring through?"
Ling has been tearing a paper napkin into small pieces as she narrates, the only visible sign of the tension she feels. Her face seems at ease, eager to take on the Bastards in battle. She throws a little ball of paper at Caio. "What, you mean like us? I guess we're more black on the outside, but certainly colourful on the inside, or at least more than the Clave would like. And by the Angel, relax, we'll be fiiiiiine! We're shadowhunters."
Turning to Shivala, she answers her question: "He said someone has to be wearing it and currently I'm attuned to it, so... I guess that's a problem unsolved for now." Ling shifts a little uncomfortably, but then changes the topic. "So plan of attack. You and Nik would probably draw less attention than us, especially you since you're not known for working with the Clave. I don't know if it's wise to split up and send you two on a little intel mission first, but I also don't like going in blind. What do you think? Otherwise, I think our priority has to be to close or disable that portal. We don't need to defeat them all, we just need to make sure their summoning ritual fails."
Shivala reflects on this information for a moment, then says,
"Ok, gathering intel is definitely a good idea. But what is our time table looking like? This ritual is not one that could be completed quickly, which gives us a wider window to intervene if they haven't started yet."
"That's why we need intel as soon as possible. We don't know how far their ritual is already progressed... or is that something either of you could detect from afar?" Ling glances between Shivala and Nikolai. "I, uhm... well, it probably won't come to that, right? Obviously we're not just going to toss me into some random dimension, never to return!" She laughs with false bravado, but seems uneasy. Right? At least I hope not. "I figure if we can stop their ritual, we'll have time to find another way to close the portal. Or get the Clave on it, say we just came across it or something." She shrugs. "As long as they can't prove we did anything without their blessing, we'll be alright. And even if, easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission, isn't it?" Ling grins, full of confidence again.
"If that's the case, then I believe we should all get moving as soon as possible. You guys could hang a little ways back while Nikolai and myself scout ahead, then give a signal to strike at the opportune moment. If we get the jump on them and all goes well, then the sacrifice becomes a non-issue. How does that sound to everyone?"
“I still don’t get why we haven’t gotten the Clave in on it in the first place but... yeah I guess this plan is our best bet.” Caio stands up from the table, leaving behind a few bites of his sandwich. His usual confidence certainly isn’t back up to full force but his grim sense of resignation seems to be propelling him in a similar way.
"I'll tell you why," Alaris replies in a bitter tone rarely heard from the vivacious warrior. "Because the Clave only cares about tradition. About keeping things as they were. 'As they've always been.' They will watch and study and in a hundred years, they might decide to act."
They fall silent for a moment, breathing heavily and eyes flashing.
"When they act, it won't be to help the helpless but to protect their precious traditions. No - this is on us."
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
"That sounds like a plan to me!" Ling digs into her food, keen to get some sustenance before they head out to the cemetery. When she's finished, she pushes up from her bench. "Caio, stop muttering to yourself. You know the Clave would never let us handle this and like Alaris said, by the time they'd officially decide to do anything, this will be over. Running something by the Clave is not exactly a speedy process." She gives Alaris a smile full of understanding. "It is. But the Clave will change eventually, they will have to. It might just take a while, " she bumps Alaris, lightening the mood, "you know, since they do everything at snail pace."
Darkness has fallen on St. Petersburg. A dull orange strip still just barely burns on the western horizon, and all along the road outside the harsh light of street lamps flickers to life. Opposite the restaurant, the trees of the wooded park rise forbodingly, casting ominous shadows across the earth between them. It's time to go.
The walk through the park towards the rear of the cemetery takes about ten minutes. After the shadowhunters' recent experience with the fey at Sosnovka, the woods seem more threatening than ever, as though every tree could hide a vengeful unseelie warrior. Eventually they reach a wide stretch of open grass, beyond which the stone bounding wall rises, blocking further view. The famous statue of Mother Motherland can just be seen peaking over the top.
When they reach the treeline, Ling pulls up google maps on her phone and asks everyone to gather around it to see. She is focused, years of training allowing her to easily slip into battle mode. "I suggest we approach from the west, most tree cover there. The three of us should hide there, climb a tree if possible and get as much of a view as we can. Nik and Shiva, if you approach from a little further north, where there is only fence instead of wall, you can hopefully get close enough to get a good look and see what your warlock senses pick up. If they don't spot you, come back and tell us what we're up against. If they do spot you, talk loudly and we'll try to get to you as fast as we can. You know, something about how they're the coolest warlock band and you're their groupies or something." She winks at Shiva. "Everyone clear? Anything to say before we go silent?"
As Ling waits to see if everyone is on board, she shrugs off her jacket holds out her arm to Alaris, getting ready to mark each other with battle runes.
"Actually, its just occurred to me, we might have several different options here;
My sight has been somewhat augmented, so we could attempt to climb a tree to get a good vantage point from which I could relay all that I see and then we could decide what to do next.
or
I could become invisible and scout ahead on my own, then return and detail what I find. If anything goes south, I could let loose a blast of energy to alert you guys.
or we could continue with our current plan, if that's what is preferred.
Caio looks genuinely impressed at Shiva’s proposals. “Damn, where were you when we were fighting fey?” He stands back and thinks for a second. “Invisibility never hurts. You could scout ahead and then we could still go with the original plan. We’d just have a better idea of what we’re getting into.”
"That's pretty cool! Do you shoplift? Anyway, sorry, not the time. You should definitely scout ahead then, I agree with Caio. That's too awesome a skill not to use!" Ling beams, excited. She lifts her eyebrows at Nikolai: "Did you keep her from me because you were worried I'd think Shiva is the cooler warlock?"
To everyone, she says: "It's set then. Shiva will scout ahead and we'll approach from the west, hopefully we can see something from those trees." Having finished her runes, Ling pulls her jacket back on and waits for Shiva to go ahead before she and the others head off to the western edge of the cemetery.
Shivala has to stifle a laugh before she's able to answer
"I don't believe I've shoplifted since I was 16, and Nik is a great warlock who's helped me tremendously. She then smiles deviously "...I'm just pretty great too."
"Well if it's decided, I'll go ahead, and hopefully be meeting up with you all soon on the west side."
Shivala will then cast Invisibility on herself, then make her way up to and over the fence, searching the area for the Bastards and their ritual.
Shivala skirts the northern edge of the cemetery until she can see past the gap in the wall and through the fence. She's used to moving quietly, and while invisible the warlock is swift and silent like a passing breeze. The footprints she leaves in the fresh snow are the only sign that anyone was here at all.
As Shiva draws closer to the cemetery she can hear a distant, tonal chanting from near the large statue that looms over the graves like a silent guardian. There's a memorial wall and a drop before the statue, so she can't see what is going on around it.
Ling watches Caio, who seems different than usual. It's just like him to hold back, but he seems... nervous? worried? Serious. Or maybe jealous he didn't get to take a cool trip to Charn. I should probably leave him be, but... She is about to imitate the Joker and ask Caio "Why so serious?" to get a rise out of him, but Alaris envelops her in a fierce hug. Ling returns it gratefully. "I missed you too! I'm not sure about the ring though, I kinda like it." She lifts an eyebrow. "See Dagon again?" With a little elbow jab, she asks: "What, someone got a crush on a demon? I didn't know you swung that way!"
Before she can tease Alaris any further and possibly wear down Caio's last nerve, Nikolai shushes the shadowhunters so he can hear what Shiva is saying to him on the phone as they emerge from the subway. They agree to meet at a little eatery a few streets from the cemetery.
A tall, royal blue warlock with solid black eyes saunters into the small eatery. Her sharp cheekbones and soft jawline are peppered with small scars, and from her head rise two spiraling vertical horns that are charcoal in color. The horns are partially obscured by shoulder length black hair that curls loosely. Her clothes; light shirt, pants, travelling bag, are all jet black. .As she scans the establishment, she sees Nikolai sitting at a booth with some unfamiliar faces, and one familiar one.
As she walks up, she says "Nik! Good to see you. Hello everyone, my name is Shivala, and I've come to give my aid at the behest of my old friend. From the sounds of it, seems like some pretty grave shit." She then turns to Ling. "You however, I have already heard much about. Nice to finally meet you Ling, I'm sorry it's taken us this long to become acquainted."
She extends her hand out to shake Ling's as she takes a seat.
Ling slides into the booth next to Alaris and scans the menu, feeling ravenous as usual. She catches the eye of the young waiter just as Shiva enters the pub. Ling is immediately taken with the royal blue skin colour. So this is Shiva, Nik always said we'd get on well - though he somehow said that like it was a bad thing, hm. "Shiva! Likewise, it was about time!" Ling takes her hand and pulls her in for a hug. "Any friend of Nik's is a friend of mine. Or a rival for his attention, but I like to think the three of us keep him too busy for anyone else. Let me bring you up to speed." The shadowhunter quickly fills Shiva in on what they've found out so far, finishing by explaining that they're planning on going to the cemetery tonight.
“Colorful company you keep.” Caio says with a smirk to Nikolai. “I’m Caio. Nice to meet you.” He says, turning to Shivala.
Once the warlock is all caught up Caio looks at Shiva with a neutral expression. “It’s a death sentence.”
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
Shivala stares dumbfounded for a moment, looking from Ling to Nikolai, then turning to Caio as he delivers the deadpan verdict.
Cocking an eyebrow, she says "Yeah, this seems a little ****ed. If this is all suppose to go down as you say, then that cemetery is gonna be crawling with those deranged ********. What's the plan of attack? And does someone have be wearing the ring in order to stop everything , or could we just throw the ring through?"
Ling has been tearing a paper napkin into small pieces as she narrates, the only visible sign of the tension she feels. Her face seems at ease, eager to take on the Bastards in battle. She throws a little ball of paper at Caio. "What, you mean like us? I guess we're more black on the outside, but certainly colourful on the inside, or at least more than the Clave would like. And by the Angel, relax, we'll be fiiiiiine! We're shadowhunters."
Turning to Shivala, she answers her question: "He said someone has to be wearing it and currently I'm attuned to it, so... I guess that's a problem unsolved for now." Ling shifts a little uncomfortably, but then changes the topic. "So plan of attack. You and Nik would probably draw less attention than us, especially you since you're not known for working with the Clave. I don't know if it's wise to split up and send you two on a little intel mission first, but I also don't like going in blind. What do you think? Otherwise, I think our priority has to be to close or disable that portal. We don't need to defeat them all, we just need to make sure their summoning ritual fails."
Shivala reflects on this information for a moment, then says,
"Ok, gathering intel is definitely a good idea. But what is our time table looking like? This ritual is not one that could be completed quickly, which gives us a wider window to intervene if they haven't started yet."
Her eyes then soften as they fall onto Ling
"And I must ask, are you ok with this?"
"That's why we need intel as soon as possible. We don't know how far their ritual is already progressed... or is that something either of you could detect from afar?" Ling glances between Shivala and Nikolai. "I, uhm... well, it probably won't come to that, right? Obviously we're not just going to toss me into some random dimension, never to return!" She laughs with false bravado, but seems uneasy. Right? At least I hope not. "I figure if we can stop their ritual, we'll have time to find another way to close the portal. Or get the Clave on it, say we just came across it or something." She shrugs. "As long as they can't prove we did anything without their blessing, we'll be alright. And even if, easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission, isn't it?" Ling grins, full of confidence again.
"If that's the case, then I believe we should all get moving as soon as possible. You guys could hang a little ways back while Nikolai and myself scout ahead, then give a signal to strike at the opportune moment. If we get the jump on them and all goes well, then the sacrifice becomes a non-issue. How does that sound to everyone?"
“I still don’t get why we haven’t gotten the Clave in on it in the first place but... yeah I guess this plan is our best bet.” Caio stands up from the table, leaving behind a few bites of his sandwich. His usual confidence certainly isn’t back up to full force but his grim sense of resignation seems to be propelling him in a similar way.
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
"I'll tell you why," Alaris replies in a bitter tone rarely heard from the vivacious warrior. "Because the Clave only cares about tradition. About keeping things as they were. 'As they've always been.' They will watch and study and in a hundred years, they might decide to act."
They fall silent for a moment, breathing heavily and eyes flashing.
"When they act, it won't be to help the helpless but to protect their precious traditions. No - this is on us."
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
"That sounds like a plan to me!" Ling digs into her food, keen to get some sustenance before they head out to the cemetery. When she's finished, she pushes up from her bench. "Caio, stop muttering to yourself. You know the Clave would never let us handle this and like Alaris said, by the time they'd officially decide to do anything, this will be over. Running something by the Clave is not exactly a speedy process." She gives Alaris a smile full of understanding. "It is. But the Clave will change eventually, they will have to. It might just take a while, " she bumps Alaris, lightening the mood, "you know, since they do everything at snail pace."
Darkness has fallen on St. Petersburg. A dull orange strip still just barely burns on the western horizon, and all along the road outside the harsh light of street lamps flickers to life. Opposite the restaurant, the trees of the wooded park rise forbodingly, casting ominous shadows across the earth between them. It's time to go.
The walk through the park towards the rear of the cemetery takes about ten minutes. After the shadowhunters' recent experience with the fey at Sosnovka, the woods seem more threatening than ever, as though every tree could hide a vengeful unseelie warrior. Eventually they reach a wide stretch of open grass, beyond which the stone bounding wall rises, blocking further view. The famous statue of Mother Motherland can just be seen peaking over the top.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva
(Don't mind me here... just subbing to the thread.)
When they reach the treeline, Ling pulls up google maps on her phone and asks everyone to gather around it to see. She is focused, years of training allowing her to easily slip into battle mode. "I suggest we approach from the west, most tree cover there. The three of us should hide there, climb a tree if possible and get as much of a view as we can. Nik and Shiva, if you approach from a little further north, where there is only fence instead of wall, you can hopefully get close enough to get a good look and see what your warlock senses pick up. If they don't spot you, come back and tell us what we're up against. If they do spot you, talk loudly and we'll try to get to you as fast as we can. You know, something about how they're the coolest warlock band and you're their groupies or something." She winks at Shiva. "Everyone clear? Anything to say before we go silent?"
As Ling waits to see if everyone is on board, she shrugs off her jacket holds out her arm to Alaris, getting ready to mark each other with battle runes.
Shiva gives a sly smile to Ling
"Actually, its just occurred to me, we might have several different options here;
My sight has been somewhat augmented, so we could attempt to climb a tree to get a good vantage point from which I could relay all that I see and then we could decide what to do next.
or
I could become invisible and scout ahead on my own, then return and detail what I find. If anything goes south, I could let loose a blast of energy to alert you guys.
or we could continue with our current plan, if that's what is preferred.
Caio looks genuinely impressed at Shiva’s proposals. “Damn, where were you when we were fighting fey?” He stands back and thinks for a second. “Invisibility never hurts. You could scout ahead and then we could still go with the original plan. We’d just have a better idea of what we’re getting into.”
Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - Vark Galestone | Half-Orc | Storm Sorcerer
Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - Caio Cypherien | Shadar-Kai | Inquisitor Ranger
"That's pretty cool! Do you shoplift? Anyway, sorry, not the time. You should definitely scout ahead then, I agree with Caio. That's too awesome a skill not to use!" Ling beams, excited. She lifts her eyebrows at Nikolai: "Did you keep her from me because you were worried I'd think Shiva is the cooler warlock?"
To everyone, she says: "It's set then. Shiva will scout ahead and we'll approach from the west, hopefully we can see something from those trees." Having finished her runes, Ling pulls her jacket back on and waits for Shiva to go ahead before she and the others head off to the western edge of the cemetery.
Shivala has to stifle a laugh before she's able to answer
"I don't believe I've shoplifted since I was 16, and Nik is a great warlock who's helped me tremendously. She then smiles deviously "...I'm just pretty great too."
"Well if it's decided, I'll go ahead, and hopefully be meeting up with you all soon on the west side."
Shivala will then cast Invisibility on herself, then make her way up to and over the fence, searching the area for the Bastards and their ritual.
Shivala skirts the northern edge of the cemetery until she can see past the gap in the wall and through the fence. She's used to moving quietly, and while invisible the warlock is swift and silent like a passing breeze. The footprints she leaves in the fresh snow are the only sign that anyone was here at all.
As Shiva draws closer to the cemetery she can hear a distant, tonal chanting from near the large statue that looms over the graves like a silent guardian. There's a memorial wall and a drop before the statue, so she can't see what is going on around it.
The Chronicles of Arden: Sheercleft - DM for Aiden, Bründir, Jex, Thurston, Valaith and Vark
The Chronicles of Arden: Hunters - DM for Alaris, Astrid, Caio and Shiva